Chapter 107 is relatively short, only at 6k, so I separated it into 2 parts instead of the usual 3.
Character List
Chu Rong: Marshal ML.
Fan Xiangnan: ML’s second-in-command.
Tan Shengwei: A captain in ML’s army.
Ning Tianxing: Ning Kongran’s father, Ning Tianya’s older brother.
An Xei: The former Emperor’s younger brother. A Prince and a scholar.
Ning Tianwu: An Xei’s wife, Ning Tianxing’s younger sister.
An Mhu: Third Imperial Prince. Used to be the puppet Emperor after his father (former/old Emperor).
Neitaxi: General from the Empire, the strongest mecha soldier in the Empire.
Jexiu: Neitaxi’s son, studying mecha piloting.
Charmmi: The Imperial Royal Mecha Master Brendan’s granddaughter. Studies mecha manufacturing.
Feng: The Imperial High Advisor.
Jian: the Imperial High Advisor’s son. Studies History.
An Lunn: Feng’s dead boyfriend. Jian’s biological father, the old Emperor’s second younger brother.
The flagship was first to arrive, descending from above to pick up Chu Rong and Qiao Zhiya.
“Should we start digging directly?” Fan Xiangnan asked.
“No, Ning Tianxing is hiding underground and probably can’t accurately monitor the surface. Bomb another area to distract him, then we can dig here quietly,” Chu Rong replied, pointing to another coordinate. “Bomb this area, and once the team arrives, start digging here.”
Fan Xiangnan nodded and rushed off with the map to make the arrangements.
Qiao Zhiya stepped forward, taking Chu Rong’s hand. “I can help you.” Digging and tunneling were dwarven specialties, and he was definitely faster than the military.
Chu Rong glanced at him, squeezing his hand back. He frowned slightly but did not object and nodded.
After everything was arranged, Qiao Zhiya and Chu Rong disembarked from the flagship and joined the arriving mining team. Fan Xiangnan piloted the flagship to the area Chu Rong had designated for a meaningless bombing to distract the people underground, while Qiao Zhiya, under Chu Rong’s protection, once again spread his magic power.
After roughly gauging the depth from the sound, Qiao Zhiya tried to detect the underground laboratory’s boundaries. However, when he extended his magic power fully, he realized that this time the detection was meaningless.
“The lab is too large. I can’t pinpoint its exact range. We need to get closer,” he said, looking up with a frown.
Even with his current magic pool, he couldn’t detect the lab’s boundaries, indicating its massive size. Since Ning Tianxing conducted human experiments, the larger the lab, the more victims there were.
Chu Rong bent down, helping him up and soothingly patting his head. “Let’s start digging. I’ll help you.”
Qiao Zhiya nodded, took out his hammer, and infused it with earth magic. Once the hammer was fully activated, he struck it heavily against the ground.
The mining team, unable to see the magic activation or sense Qiao Zhiya’s power, saw him suddenly pull out a small hammer and swing it downward into the air. Then, the ground silently shook, cracks appeared in the earth before him, and the soil began to arch and roll to the sides. After a series of tremors, a trench at least ten meters deep was revealed.
“Fuck…”
Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, quickly covering their mouth when they noticed Chu Rong’s cold gaze. They stared wide-eyed at Qiao Zhiya and the ground before him, filled with shock.
Although they knew the Second Young Master’s fiancé was a genius, they had no idea he possessed such an extraordinary power. What had just happened? With one swing of his hand, the ground automatically cracked open and made way?
A single strike created a trench more than ten meters deep. This efficiency was far superior to specialized digging machines! Moreover, this method was almost silent, making it an environmentally friendly and efficient operation!
Qiao Zhiya measured the depth of the trench, turned back, and saw the mining team members staring at him with wide eyes. He shyly shuffled and tugged on Chu Rong’s hand, whispering, “The ground on this planet is quite easy to dig. Initially, it’s best if only the two of us go down. The others can follow and clear the area. Otherwise, I might not be able to control my strength and hurt them.”
Chu Rong nodded, called over the mining team leader, and gave a few instructions. Then, he directly jumped into the trench with Qiao Zhiya in his arms.
The team leader couldn’t resist stepping forward to peek into the trench, glimpsing Qiao Zhiya standing at the bottom, vaguely raising his hammer. He quickly stepped back, and the ground indeed trembled again as more soil rolled out, covering his face with dirt.
“…”
He brushed off the dirt, feeling the increasingly regular tremors beneath his feet. Turning to his team, he silently waved and said, “Start helping with the cleanup. The soil is also an important planetary resource and should be treated with care, understood?”
The team members: “…” No, saying this does not alleviate the awkwardness at all.
Deep underground, Ning Tianxing hurried into the next laboratory, rapidly destroying various experimental data. Suddenly, a slime-covered hand reached out from behind him, aiming straight for his neck.
Upon hearing the sound, Ning Tianxing’s face darkened. He immediately drew his weapon and fired a shot behind him. Blood splattered, and the attacking experimental subject fell to the ground. Without even sparing it a glance, Ning Tianxing wiped the blood off his face and continued gathering the experimental data, muttering through gritted teeth, “That damned An Xei! Always a hindrance! He destroyed my most important experimental subject! I’ll deal with him after this!”
Another hand reached out from behind. Annoyed, Ning Tianxing prepared to shoot again when a panicked male voice quickly said, “Wait, wait, wait, Laoshi, it’s me, not an experiment subject. I’ve already gathered the data from Area D. Do we really have to abandon those subjects?”
Only then did Ning Tianxing realize it was his assistant. He frowned and scolded, “Don’t you know to announce yourself first? What’s the use of you being so reckless! If it weren’t for… forget it. Once Area D is cleaned up, prepare the timed explosives. Do I have to teach you such simple things?”
The tall, hulking young man, who seemed particularly timid and bizarrely wore a hood covering his entire head, leaving only his eyes visible, shrank under the scolding. He nodded hastily and cautiously asked, “What about Area D…”
Ning Tianxing frowned, thinking about the mature experimental subjects in Area D. He hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying, “Abandon it! We don’t have enough transport devices to move them all. Chu Rong could arrive at any moment. Destroy the experimental data first!”
“Okay, okay,” the young man nodded quickly and turned to leave, continuing to clean up the experimental data.
Ning Tianxing called him back, looking upward briefly before saying darkly, “The experimental subjects shouldn’t go to waste. Find a passage and release them to create trouble for those Chu family pests on the surface.”
The young man seemed frightened by his tone, shrinking his shoulders again. He nodded submissively, then stumbled as he hurried away.
“Useless fool!”
Ning Tianxing despised his assistant’s clumsy behavior but had no choice under the current circumstances. The Chu family’s thorough cleanup had cost him a significant number of useful personnel. Now, this was the only reliable person left by his side.
“Damn it!”
He cursed under his breath and resumed collecting data, angrily deciding that once this lab was cleared and a new one established, he would cultivate a few more competent assistants and dispose of the useless one.
As he was thinking this, his portable alarm suddenly went off. He paused, his expression changing drastically. He quickly pulled out the device and saw the alarm for Area E flashing. He glared in that direction, angrily pounding the table before speeding up his efforts.
‘These Chu family flies were relentless! Even though Chu Rong wasn’t here, they kept digging and bombing the surface! And that Chu Rong, how did he even manage to track them to this dump of a planet?’
His expression grew darker with each thought. Hearing footsteps behind him, he instinctively drew his weapon and fired another shot.
“Bang!”
An escaping experimental subject fell to the ground, glaring at him with hateful eyes as if trying to tear him apart with its gaze. Ning Tianxing’s face twisted into a sinister smile. He fired another shot into the subject’s face, feeling a sense of relief as the pent-up anger dissipated. He scoffed and decided not to bother with this frustrating lab anymore, heading toward the next one.
“Thud.”
Another hammer strike sent soil flying as the ground split open, and their bodies, wrapped in magic, sank lower.
Chu Rong wiped the sweat off Qiao Zhiya’s forehead. Noticing Qiao Zhiya shiver, his hand froze, realizing he had accidentally touched the small horn on Qiao Zhiya’s forehead again. He gently brushed aside Qiao Zhiya’s bangs, lightly touching the area before taking his hand.
Qiao Zhiya looked at him, puzzled.
“Let’s take a break and replenish your energy.”
Chu Rong handed Qiao Zhiya a piece of jade, then steadied his head and took out a small black string. He lifted Qiao Zhiya’s bangs, awkwardly tying them into a small braid to keep them from constantly brushing against his forehead and little horn.
Feeling the coolness on his forehead, Qiao Zhiya shook his head to test the braid, his eyes shining as he looked at Chu Rong.
“This way, the horn on your forehead won’t get brushed so often.” Chu Rong patted his head, stepped forward to position himself protectively, and took out a mining hammer, saying, “You rest and recharge your energy. I’ll take over for a bit.”
He then imitated Qiao Zhiya, concentrating his spiritual power into the hammer and striking the slanted ground.
“Boom!”
A nearly deafening noise followed, causing the ground to shake. The earth cracked, and their bodies sank a little, but the broken ground stayed stable, with no soil blocks flipping out to make a path.
Chu Rong froze, looking at the ground in silence.
Qiao Zhiya’s ears perked up, and he quickly stepped forward to grab the hammer from Chu Rong, awkwardly trying to comfort him, “You’re amazing! You dug really deep! Uh, I, I’m hungry. Can you warm up some food for me? I don’t want to drink a nutrient solution.”
Chu Rong turned to look at him, frowning and visibly agitated. Suddenly, he bent down and kissed Qiao Zhiya forcefully, then obediently walked to the side, taking out a simple meal and a portable heater. He activated the heater and placed the meal inside to warm it.
Qiao Zhiya touched his forehead, watching Chu Rong’s “domestic” appearance, and squinted his eyes with a smile.
Above ground.
Fan Xiangnan continued bombing the area Chu Rong had designated. A deep crater had already formed. Just as he was about to switch directions and bomb other areas as a distraction, the flagship’s scanner detected something unusual.
“This marker… it indicates a large group of creatures approaching?” Tan Shengwei examined the scan, trying to decipher what the markers represented.
Fan Xiangnan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately zoomed in on the area, and within seconds, a huge black hole appeared on the ground under his watchful eye. The black hole expanded, and countless Zergs surged out.
“It’s the Zerg!” Tan Shengwei was initially shocked but then elated. “The lab must be below this area!”
Fan Xiangnan felt a sense of relief. He aimed the cannons at the black hole and contacted Chu Rong underground while ordering nearby soldiers and the mining team to prepare for combat. He then fired the cannons.
Chu Rong ended the communication and looked at Qiao Zhiya, who had just finished eating. “Ning Tianxing is angered by the bombing and has released the Zergs. He must be here.”
Qiao Zhiya swallowed the last bite of food, stood up energetically, and raised his hammer. “Then let’s dig him out quickly!”
In the lab, Ning Tianxing noticed the alarm in Area E had stopped. He glanced at the ground, snorted coldly, and walked briskly to the next lab area.
About half an hour later, Qiao Zhiya put down his hammer, wiping sweat from his face. With two smudges of dirt on his face, he seriously said, “The lab is right below us. Just a few more strikes and we’ll reach it.”
Chu Rong carefully wiped Qiao Zhiya’s face with a handkerchief, then took out his communicator to contact the team above, urging them to expedite the cleanup and come down quickly.
In the flagship, Fan Xiangnan, after receiving the message, no longer engaged slowly with the emerging Zerg. He directly bombarded the black hole on the ground, dispersing it. He then sped up, clearing the Zerg outside, landed the flagship, and gathered the team to descend into the tunnel Qiao Zhiya had dug.
“Bang!”
The dull sound of dirt hitting metal echoed, causing Qiao Zhiya to pause and look towards Chu Rong.
Chu Rong stepped forward, first handing him some jade for his magic pool replenishment. Then, he climbed into his mecha, using tools to clear away the soil in the area, revealing a metal wall. He drew his twin daggers and inserted them into the dark golden metal surface, slicing through it as if it were tofu.
While replenishing his energy, Qiao Zhiya noticed the daggers in Chu Rong’s hands and realized they were the ones he had previously crafted using secondary-mutated red tin ore and star sand. His ears twitched as he looked up at the black-gold mecha.
Chu Rong’s expression suddenly changed as he finished cutting the metal surface. He quickly stowed the knives, grabbed Qiao Zhiya into the mech’s hand for protection, then used his other hand to grip the sliced metal and forcefully lift it up!
“Hiss! Hss hss—!!”
A dense swarm of insectoid creatures hissed, and as the metal surface broke open, a small Zerg emerged, its limbs flailing as it attacked the black-gold mecha.
Qiao Zhiya’s eyes widened in fear, and his magic power began to leak out unconsciously.
Chu Rong immediately drew a short dagger and stabbed the small Zerg in the head. The creature convulsed violently before ceasing its struggle and slipping back into the metal cavity, only to be quickly replaced by more insectoids from below, blocking the opening.
“Crunch, crunch”
The dreadful sound of chewing came, and the insectoid corpses blocking the hole began to deflate. Another ferocious Zerg surged out, and Chu Rong, with a frown, struck it down with another swing of his dagger. He quickly opened the mecha’s cockpit, placed Qiao Zhiya inside. After ensuring he was secure, he pulled out the Zerg corpses blocking the hole, attacking the next emerging Zerg while saying, “It looks like we’ve dug into Ning Tianxing’s storage area for these creatures.”
Qiao Zhiya observed the scene outside, his brows furrowed and not relaxing.
They took advantage of their strategic position and the Zergs’ lack of intelligence, guarding the hole and killing the creatures one by one. When no more Zergs emerged, they jumped out of the mech, donned their protective suits, activated their shields, and followed the opening down.
